Oxytropis oreophila var. juniperina

Mountain oxytrope

Family: Fabaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Conservation status: CNPS 2B.1

Mountain oxytrope is a rare (CNPS 2B.1) California native perennial found in dry, rocky hillsides of pinyon-juniper woodland and desert shrub at elevations of 1,650 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces pink-purple flowers with a banner 9 to 12 millimeters long arranged in small clusters of 2 to 15 blooms. Growing in dense, cushion-like clumps with short, nearly erect stems, it forms compact mats across rocky terrain. Its leaves are compact, bearing 7 to 11 small elliptic to ovate leaflets, each 2 to 7 millimeters long. The fruit is spreading to ascending, pale to brownish in color, measuring 10 to 12 millimeters long and 4 to 6 millimeters wide.

Habitat: Barren knolls, dry, rocky hillsides in pinyon-juniper woodland to desert shrub

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: 1650-2500 m

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.